A passenger who fell off a cruise ship late Wednesday night was rescued on Thursday evening.
The 28-year-old man was reported missing by the crew of the Carnival Valor at around 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 24, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Rescue crews were quickly amassed. The crew of a bulk carrier, identified as Crinis, spotted the man in the water and alerted the Coast Guard to his position. He was rescued around 8:25 p.m., about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana.
The man, who has not been identified, was “responsive but exhibiting hypothermic-like symptoms” when he was found by a Coast Guard aircrew and received emergency medical services at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport, Coast Guard petty officer Ryan Graves told CBS News. He is in stable condition.
The Coast Guard shared video footage of the rescue on Twitter, showing the moment the man was found and brought aboard an agency helicopter.
Matt Lupoli, a spokesperson for Carnival told CBS News that the man was at a bar with his sister on Wednesday night, and he disappeared after leaving to use the restroom. His sister, whose identity has also not been made public, alerted crew to his absence when he did not return to his stateroom overnight.
“We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome,” said Lt. Seth Gross, a Sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator. “It took a total team effort from Coast Guard watchstanders, response crews, and our professional maritime partners operating in the Gulf of Mexico to locate the missing individual and get him to safety. If not for the alert crew aboard the motor vessel Crinis, this case could have had a much more difficult ending.”
Carnival’s Care Team is “providing support to the family members of the missing guest who were sailing with him and remain on board,” Lupoli said. The ship is bound for Cozumel, Mexico.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the U.S. Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water,” Lupoli told CBS News.